1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector designed to prevent its connection pins from being warped, and to an image display device employing such an electrical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, image display devices, such as liquid crystal display devices, employ one or more connectors for providing electrical connection between a main board and an image display module for displaying images thereon. Such connector usually has first and second parts to be combined with and detached from each other. One of the first and second parts of the connector transfers electric signals from a main board to the other.
In case that the first part of a connector is connected to the image display module and the second part is connected to the main board, the first part usually has mounting pins, connection pins and a mold frame for holding and protecting a connection portion between the mounting and connection pins. Also, the connecting pins are inserted into the second part of the connector.
The second part of the connector has connection slots each having a connection terminal therein. The connection terminals are connected with external signal lines, so that electrical signals provided through the signal lines are transferred through the connection terminals to the connection pins of the first part of the connector.
Since image display devices are trending to having a smaller and thinner size and lighter weight, connectors employed in such image display devices become smaller and thinner as well. In case that a connector having the above mentioned first and second parts has a smaller and thinner size, it is difficult to separate the first part from the second part and vice versa by applying a uniform force onto the ends of either of or both the first and second parts of the connector. In this case, thus, the first and second parts of the connector are usually separated by applying torque onto the first and/or second parts. In other words, when the first and second parts of the connector are detached from each other, a stronger force is applied onto a first end portion of the connector (i.e., first end portion(s) of the first and/or second part(s)) than onto a second end portion of the connector (i.e., second end portion(s) of the first and/or second part(s)) to extract the connection pins adjacent to the first end of the connector. Then, the connection pins adjacent to the second end portion of the connector are extracted by applying another force onto the second end portion of the connector.
As a result, the connection pins adjacent to the second end portion of the connector are warped because they remain in the connection slots while the connection pins adjacent to the first end portion of the connector has exited from the connection slots. Since the connection pins remaining in the connection slots can hardly maintain on the straight, they are apt to be warped or bent. Such warpage of the connection pins causes problems such as misalignment of the connection pins with the connection slots and deterioration in electrical connection between the first and second parts of the connector.
Therefore, a need exists for an electrical connector that provides safe electric connection between the first and second parts of the connector by preventing the connection pins of the connector from being warped or bent at the time of separating the first and second parts from each other. Further, it will be advantageous to provide an image display device employing such electric connector for transferring electric signals between a main board and a display module.